I Won’t Accept Your Regrets

I was unable to deny my connection to the Phoenix organization, so I plotted to release gossip that I had a fleeting relationship with Jed, the head of the organization.

"Yes, okay. I'll do everything."

He added:

"But although, Mr. Jed arrives in the Empire about the day after tomorrow. It won't be the best solution to get the public's attention right now."

"Is Jed sailing here?"

"The boss said he’s going to the Empire because he’s worried about Ellie. I received a letter saying that he would be the day after tomorrow."

There was a feeling that a reliable friend was coming to me.

As I thought about Jed, I suddenly remembered the man I had seen at the trial.

It was only for a short moment, but I would always recognize his sparkling eyes at first sight.

Jeremy.

"Lumont."

"Yes?"

"Please, we need to find a person. A man named Jeremy with platinum hair and amber eyes. Find out if he is in the Agrita Empire now."

If he really returned to the Empire, I wanted to return the favor to him.

After all, he was a man who gets along with the same burden of the past as I do.

"If I find it, I'll report it right away."

"Then try. Well, it's time for me to go."

Although we only briefly discussed a few things, time flew by quickly. Soon there will be only guards on the streets. I'd better hurry back.

The next morning.

I woke up early and after breakfast with my father I immediately began to dress.

The maid brought me a jewelry box.

"Milady, do you want more colorful decorations?"

"Something to match a modest dress."

Deep purple, hanging down to the floor and accentuating the waistline. Simple design with no fancy decorations.

For a visit to the Emperor, this choice was a little simple, but my look changed when I added diamond earrings and a necklace.

I didn't care about Raymond's tastes, but he wasn't the only one sitting in the imperial palace.

At the trial, I tried to refrain from embellishment, but today was a different matter.

At the trial, I appeared with a huge sum in my hands, but I had to dress more modestly to show that the Croft family is also not flashy.

"My lady, it's done."

Finally, she put a necklace studded with huge diamonds on me.

With a contented look, I looked in the mirror and handed the maids a silver coin.

The maids' eyes widened. It was not surprising, because that was their salary for a month.

The maids looked at the older one with concern in their eyes, to see if they could accept such a thing.

I smiled tenderly at them all.

"It’s an incentive for you to work hard, so don’t hesitate. You better hide it sooner."

It was a lot of money, but I gave it away on purpose.

Commoners were always gossiping about nobles. Rumors will appear quickly.

I only recently made up for the Empire's budget deficit.

Immediately after that, I paid the servants' wages plus bonuses.

In the eyes of others, this would mean that Duke Croft's fortune was in no way depleted.

"Yes! Thank you, Milady."

Harris said nothing, and the giggling maids soon galloped out of the room.

"I told the butler to get more people. All have left, and there is a lack of working hands here. Run a selection with the butler."

"Yes, Milady."

"And… Don't push them too hard for now."

Harris turned to me with a puzzled expression for a moment, but quickly lowered her head.

"I’ll note it."

"Then I'll go."

I left the house wearing a wide-brimmed purple hat.

The road to the imperial palace didn’t take long.

"Milady, we have arrived."

The coachman opened the door for me. I slowly left the carriage.

The main palace of the Agrita Empire, the large Imperial Palace, which I saw again 6 years later. It was no different from the past.

A rectangular white brick main building and outbuildings rebuilt on both sides.

In front of them was a large garden and a central fountain.

And in the garden of the main palace there was still the red rose that Raymond's mother liked best.

Usually, when the roses were blooming, I would walk with Raymond in the garden.

"Ray, look how it’s beautiful here!"

"…Yes yes."

This rose reminded him of his mother every time.

Knowing this, I always came to the garden early in the morning, when the roses were just blooming.

And I tried to make them bloom as beautifully as they could.

It was all from the hope that the rose would bloom beautifully and Raymond's heart would find consolation in this.

And of course he didn't know anything.

Silhouettes flicker before my eyes, as if it is happening in a dream.

We walk in a rose garden.

With a gloom on his face, he examines the red buds, and I keep trying to console him.

But he didn't care.

If he were even a little curious, he would know how hard I sweated over the rose garden this morning.

But he never noticed.

My mind, clouded by memories of the past, suddenly cleared on its own.

After all, the past is just the past.

Stopping in my steps for a moment, I turned towards the main palace.

"Sire. Lady Croft has arrived."

"Let her in."

The office door opened. The familiar face of the butler came into view.

I didn't have a bad impression of him, so I greeted him with a slight smile.

When I entered the office and turned around, I saw Raymond sitting on the table.

"Hail His Majesty the Emperor, Empire Sun."

"Everyone leave."

Snapping at the servants, he came closer to me.

"Sit down, we'll talk."

He was the first to go to the sofa, and I followed him.

When I sat down on the sofa, my attention was drawn to the vase on the bedside table.

An already withered flower stuck out in a vase.

I knew what kind of flower it was.

I was the one who left here the freesia that used to bloom in the Imperial Garden.

Raymond turned to the vase, noticing my gaze.

He gently touched the dried flowers with his fingertips.

"The wizards of the court say they did everything they could. But you, Ellie, you could save this flower."

He turned and looked at me.

He knew my abilities. And I really could have saved the flower, as he said.

At first glance, it seemed that he was waiting for my step.

But I didn't want to save this long-withered flower.

"The flower is already dead. Please just return it to the ground it once came out of."

Raymond's low voice echoed as he looked at the withered flowers.

"I can’t leave it. It was your gift."

His face twitched as he spat out those short, harsh words.

"Your gift."

I felt uncomfortable with these meaningful words. But then I just got ridiculous.

Does my gift end in a single flower?

In those days, Raymond was my whole world, and I gave him everything I had then.

I wanted to see him smile.

I don't know what was on his mind right now, but the situation was awkward.

I looked at that flower again.

"Sire. I'm not here to share stories from the past. If you have nothing more to say, let me take my leave."

I felt how his gaze was fixed on me, but I deliberately didn’t turn to look.